


Meet The Parents

by DizzyDrea



Category: Numb3rs
Genre: F/M, Family, Meeting the Parents, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-31
Updated: 2011-12-31
Packaged: 2017-11-05 03:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/402202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyDrea/pseuds/DizzyDrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nikki's invited Ian to meet her parents. Trouble is, she's forgotten to mention a few things—to her parents, and to Ian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meet The Parents

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [numb3rs100](http://numb3rs100.livejournal.com/) December Rewind Prompts – Tongue, Stutter, Anxiety, Blush
> 
> As soon as I saw the December prompts, I thought of Nikki getting flustered, which isn't something she usually is. And what would make her get that flustered? Taking Ian to meet her parents, of course. As for the rest, I have no earthly idea where the idea to make Nikki a trust-fund baby came from. The text for the first drabble in the set came to me almost fully formed, and it just took off from there. It's a little different, I'll be the first to admit that. Still, I hope it works.
> 
> Originally posted on LiveJournal.
> 
> Disclaimer: Numb3rs belongs to The Barry Schindel Company, Scott Free Productions, CBS Television Studios and a lot of other people who aren't me. I'm doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

**Anxiety**

She's tough, no nonsense. She tells the truth, and to hell with what other people think. And she's got a sensitive bullshit meter, which is a good thing in her line of work. 

But there's something that none of her coworkers know about her. A secret she's kept that's about to be blown. 

Nikki's a trust fund baby. She tells people she's from the hood because they'd never believe that she grew up skiing in Aspen and vacationing in the capitols of Europe. They wouldn't understand why she became a cop when she could have done so many other things; or nothing at all, really, because that's how much money her father has. 

Special Agent Nikki Betancourt is just a character she plays. Something she puts on, like a suit, before she leaves for work each day. Her clothes are more Ann Taylor than Stella McCartney, and though she has a couple of pairs of Jimmy Choo's, she'd never dream of wearing them to work. So no one's the wiser, and she likes it that way. 

Except that in just a few minutes, her secret will be out. Ian will show up at her door full of questions that she's not sure she's ready to answer, except that she's left herself no choice. She asked him to dinner with her folks, and he offered to pick her up. At her condo. The one her Dad insisted on buying for her. 

And while she knows that Ian won't judge, she's still filled with anxiety. Because no matter how much she likes him—if she's honest, she loves him—she worries that he'll be angry. She didn't lie, per se, but a lie of omission is still a lie in their business. 

Her doorbell rings, and she's out of time for worries.

~o~

**Stutter**

Ian's eyebrow is already skimming his hairline when she opens the door. 

"I—I can explain," she stutters, opening the door wider, allowing him inside. 

She'd texted him the address an hour ago. It's a modest condo, really. Didn't even cost her a million. Well, that's not true. It didn't cost her _father_ a million. Because he'd refused to entertain the idea of her living anywhere that didn't at least have a doorman. 

"Wilshire, huh?" Ian asks as he prowls around. 

She cringes. "Yeah." She follows him as he explores the place, ending up back in her living room. She knows this is it, so she decides to go on the offensive. "Look, I refuse to apologize for the fact that my family has money. I work for a living, at a job I love. So I'm not going to pretend that—" 

Anything else she might have said is swallowed up by Ian's kiss. He'd moved without her realizing, and now all she can think to do is hang on. Slowly, gently, he ends the kiss, pulling back to look at her. 

"Did you really think all this would matter to me?" he asks softly. 

"N—Y—I don't know," she says, slumping in defeat. 

"You seem to have developed a stutter," he teases her. "Maybe you should get that looked at." 

"Gee, thanks, Ian," she says, but she's smiling when she does. "This really doesn't bother you?" 

"I'm here for you, not your money, Nikki," he says, giving her his most charming smile. "It does explain why we always seemed to end up at my hotel." 

"I'm sorry," she says, and she practically chokes on the words. "I know I should have told you sooner." 

"You weren't ready until now," he says, melting her heart all over again.

~o~

**Tongue**

Her parents are already at the restaurant when they arrive. Her dad stands up, and he's wearing that stern expression he puts on whenever one of his kids has done something he's not sure he likes. 

"Mom, Dad, this is Ian Edgerton," she says, leaving out any explanation of who he is or why he's here. It's the coward's way out, she knows, but right now she's feeling anything but brave. 

It's not that her parents are racist, per se. After all, there's a class system at work in her world that values light skin over dark. Still, she knows Ian's not what they had in mind. 

Ian, to his credit, isn't exactly oblivious. He gives her father his most charming smile, holding his hand out to shake amiably. 

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Betancourt." 

He shakes her mother's hand, every inch the gentleman, and Nikki begins to think that she might just survive this night after all. They'd insisted she bring him along, and while she knew it might be awkward, she's also grateful that Ian seems to be so comfortable, even when she's not. 

He chats animatedly, his charm working overtime on her mother. Her father is another story. He's still got that stern look on his face, and while she's not panicking yet, she's getting more worried by the second. 

There's a lull in the conversation, and her father turns to her. Her heart stutters in her chest, because she knows what's coming. 

"So, Nicole, exactly what is this young man to you?" 

"I—he's—I mean, we're—" 

Her tongue doesn't seem to want to work as the panic takes over, and Ian's soft chuckle isn't helping. But her father waits patiently for an answer, one that she's not sure she wants to give.

~o~

**Blush**

She takes a deep breath, trying to corral her scattered wits. She's faced down murderers without flinching, but somehow telling her father what Ian means to her has her scared to death. 

To be fair, it isn't really her father she's scared of. She's more afraid of what's between her and Ian. It's huge, life-altering, and the enormity of it scares her more than anything. 

Her father waits patiently for an answer, and she can feel her mother and Ian, full of curiosity, watching to see what happens. 

Then, her knight rides to the rescue. 

"Nikki is very special to me," Ian says, taking her hand. "I love her with all my heart, and I hope one day to make her mine." 

Three faces turn to him, but Nikki's not even aware her parents are in the same room. "Really?" 

He leans in close, cupping her face in his hand. "Really. I wouldn't lie to you. Not about this" 

She still can't quite comprehend what he's just said. "Why me? Why now?" 

"I wanted to tell you sooner, but you weren't ready," he says, shrugging. "As for why you," he pauses, smiling, "because you're you." 

"I love you," she says, closing the distance and kissing him softly. 

Her father clears his throat, and when Nikki straightens up, she's blushing furiously, hoping that her dark skin will hide it. Ian winks at her, and that hope is crushed, but she can't complain. 

"A toast, then," her father says, lifting his glass. She sees approval shining in his eyes, and feels tears prick at her own. "To love." 

"To love," they all echo. 

As she sips at her wine, she smiles into the eyes of the man she loves, thinking that all the worry and pain had been worth it after all. 

~Finis


End file.
